Crucell And Glaxo Will Combine Malaria vaccines

NEW YORK -- Drug makers Crucell NV and GlaxoSmithKline PLC said
Tuesday they will work together on a new malaria vaccine composed
of two drugs they were developing separately.

The companies had worked together to research a Crucell vaccine
in preclinical studies, and want to begin testing their combined
vaccine on humans. They said the preclinical research shows the
drugs may work better together than they do separately.

Crucell said malaria kills about 900,000 people a year, making
it one of the deadliest diseases in the world.

The experimental vaccine combines a GlaxoSmithKline vaccine
called RTS,S/AS with a vaccine being developed by Crucell.
GlaxoSmithKline is running late stage clinical tests of RTS,S/AS.
Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

The vaccine uses Crucell’s AdVac technology, which
involves placing a section of genetic material from a virus or
parasite into larger "vehicle" particle similar to the virus that
causes the common cold. Crucell says that creates immunity to the
disease, and works better against severe infectious diseases than
older methods of vaccine creation.

Crucell of the Netherlands and London-based GlaxoSmithKline have
been collaborating since late 2003 through a partnership with the
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.